Thursday, May 10, 2012

Athens-Banner Herald ------- May 9, 2012 -- Article by Andre Gallant


Brothers work it out onstage

Published Wednesday, May 9, 2012       
Athens Banner-Herald

A Darnell Boys show is a bit like a family reunion held at a Delta juke joint.
Three brothers — Austin, Caleb and Gus — front a five-piece that sounds as if rock ’n’ roll never existed, never mind disco.
Brothers Austin and Caleb played together in Bellyache way back in the aughts, mining acoustic blues to soothe crowds.
Youngest sibling Gus would’ve played as well, but he was too young, and had to finish high school before he could join the elder Darnells out in the bars and clubs.
All three brothers, who grew up in Athens, finally joined forces about two years ago, and have solidified their lineup with Elijah Neesmith on bass and Patrick Weise keeping time.
The three brothers bring separate but related influences to the band, according to Gus Darnell. Austin is a fan of traditional blues, writes primarily in that style and brings covers in that vein to the band to cover.
Caleb is a country-blues man, a believer in open guitar tunings, and loves Lightning Hopkins and Skip James.
Gus, often dressed in a pearl-buttoned Western shirt, is the group’s good-ol’ boy, adding country music fanaticism to the band’s strident old-timeyness.
The Darnell Boys are regulars at Farm 255 and the farmers market, but this summer marks two milestones for the band: a mainstage performance at AthFest and studio time working on a full-length record.
But how does a band playing throwback music grab its audience? Easy. The old-fashioned way: the live show.
“Onstage, we are having the best time ever,” said Gus Darnell. “People really feed off of that. What we play onstage is what we play at our houses. Its what we do for fun. For us to go out and play what we enjoy comes across really well. We play what we want to play, and people pick up on it.”

— André Gallant, Staff

Darnell Boys
with The Corduroy Road and Big Daddy Love
When: 9 p.m. Thursday
Where: 40 Watt Club. 285 W. Washington St.
Cost: $10
Call: (706) 549-7871
Online: www.40watt.com


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